Valved closure for a pressurized dispenser



July 9, 1968 J. R. FOCHT 3,391,834

VALVED CLOSURE FOR A PRESSURIZED DISPENSER Filed Oct. 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F IG. 3 Jomv Ric/ X3 5 35cm A 7' TORNE'YS.

July 9, 1968 J. R. FOCHT 3,391,834

VALVED CLOSURE FOR A PRESSURIZED DISPENSER Filed Oct. 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2

I /3 INVENTOR,

; .mnu RICHARD F A TURNEYS.

United States Patent 3,391,834 VALVED CLOSURE FOR A PRESSURIZED DISPENSER John Richard Focht, Yonkers, N.Y., assignor to Precision Valve Corporation, Yonkers, N .Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 585,483 Claims. (Cl. ZZZ-402.24)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A deformable non-metallic liner member is interposed between the valve unit of a pressurized dispenser and the metallic closure member which supports the valve unit thereby preventing corrosion of the metallic member by the container contents and preventing undue stress in the valve unit when it is afiixed to the metallic member by crimping.

The present invention relates to closures for aerosol dispensers which take the form of a metal ferrule which houses an aerosol valve unit in its upstanding pedestal portion. The ferrule is placed over the open end of a metal or glass container and deformed by rolling, crimping, or spinning to permanently secure the closure to the container.

Often, because of the nature of the product, it is necessary to isolate the metal ferrule from the contents of the container. Otherwise, contamination of product or an undesirable chemical reaction between ferrule and con tents will occur.

In the past various arrangements which constructions achieve isolation have been made. The subject arrangement is an improvement over prior ferrule-valve constructions.

For example, metal ferrule closures of the prior art are frequently united with the valve unit by providing the closure with an upstanding valve mounting pedestal. The valve unit is secured to the valve mounting pedestal by deforming the pedestal into the valve housing of the valve unit by rolling, crimping, staking or spinning. These methods of cold forming the metal ferrule may result in the application of undue strain in the valve unit thereby distorting or fracturing the valve unit.

According to the present invention, I overcome the above-noted deficiencies of the prior art by providing the ferrule member with a relatively thin plastic liner which approximates the shape of the valve mounting pedestal in the ferrule and extends radially across the remainder of the ferrule to provide a non-metallic liner over all surfaces which may be contacted by the product formulation. When the valve unit is secured to the metal ferrule by deformation of the ferrule, the liner interposed between the valve unit and the ferrule is similarly deformed. The presence of this relatively thin and therefore flexible liner assists in distributing stress to prevent distortion or fracture of the valve unit.

A second feature is that the liner extends through the central opening of the pedestal, thereby providing a plastic to plastic contact between the liner and the valve stem.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a closure for a pressurized dispenser;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the openings of the closure of FIG. 1 prior to assembly; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view partly broken away of the liner member of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the metal ferrule which is shown in assembled relationship with a valve unit 2. The ferrule is crimped or otherwise deformed to secure the valve unit 2 to the ferrule. The crimp is shown at 5. The

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valve unit 2 is comprised of a valve housing 3 which includes a shoulder which is adapted to receive a crimped groove 5. The valve housing 3 includes an extension 7 appropriate for receiving an eduction tube (not shown). Within the bore 8 of the valve housing is a valve stem 10 which is biased upwardly by means of a spring 9. A sealing gasket 11 performs the valving function with an orifice 12 in the valve stem 10. Protruding above the sealing gasket 11 and integral with the valve stem is a tubular member with a bore 13 in communication with the valve orifice 12. An actuating button 14 including appropriate passages conveys product from the terminal end of the valve stem bore 13 to an appropriate discharge orifice to effect dispensing. Interposed between the valve unit 2 and the metal ferrule is a non-metallic liner member 15. The liner member 15 approximately conforms to the shape of the valve mounting pedestal 16 of the ferrule and also extends radially from the valve mounting pedestal to complete a non-metallic lining over all portions of the ferrule which might come into contact with the product. The upper portion of the lining is provided with an annular ridge 17 which extends through the hole 21 in the valve mounting pedestal of the ferrule 1. The tubular extension of the valve stem passes through a bore 22 within the annular ridge 17 of the liner 15. The valve stem thus bears against plastic. A sealing gasket 18 is provided within the ferrule 1 to engage the product container to provide a leak-free seal between the ferrule and the container. An annular ridge 19 is provided on the lower face of the liner 15 to further compress the gasket 18 into sealing relationship with the upper edge of the product container. A downwardly extending flange portion 20 of the ferrule is provided to permit the ferrule to be secured to the product container by conventional deforming steps such as rolling, crimping, or spinning- Referring now to FIG. 2, the various parts described in reference to FIG. 1 are shown in the order of their assembly. It should be noted that the ferrule valve mounting pedestal 16 is not provided with the groove 5 as is shown in FIG. 1. Similarly, the liner 15 is not so grooved. After the valve unit which comprises the housing 3, the spring 9, the stem 10 and the gasket 11 has been assembled and placed Within the bore 22 of the liner 15, the ferrule is placed over this assembly. The completed assembly is then secured together by rolling or otherwise deforming the metal of the mounting pedestal inwardly to form a groove 5 which engages the surface 6 of the valve housing 3. When so secured, the closure assembly is complete except for the container sealing gasket 18 and the valve actuating button 14. These may be assembled at this time or may be supplied just prior to association of the closure assembly with a product container to complete the dispenser unit.

The operation of the valve is well known. Downward force on the actuating button 14 depresses the valve stem 10 with respect to the valve sealing gasket 11 to expose the orifice 12 to the product under pressure in the container. The pressure on the product causes the product to leave the product container through the path now established through the bore 8 of the valve housing, orifice 12 and the valve stem bore 13. The product then travels through the conduits (not shown) in the button to a discharge orifice (not shown).

The liner 15 may 'be made of nylon or a similar plastic. The relatively thin Walls of that part of the liner which correspond to the valve mounting pedestal 16 of the ferrule readily permit deformation of the liner when groove 5 is formed to secure the valve housing 3. The presence of the relatively thin and therefore relatively flexible liner in the area of the deformed groove 5 prevents the transmission of excessive strain from the deforming operation to the valve unit 2.

The provision of the annular ridge 17 surrounding the valve stem accommodating bore 22 in the liner insures that the valve stem will bear against the plastic surface of the liner rather than against the metal edge of the hole 21 provided in the ferrule. It may be observed in FIG. 3 that the inner periphery of the hole 22 of the liner is provided with serrations 23. These serrations provide multiple paths for charging the container.

It should be understood that the term ferrule as used herein and in the claims appended hereto is intended to include a top closure in an aerosol container commonly referred to as amounting cup, for example see the top closure in United States Patent No. 2,631,814. When employed with a conventional mounting cup, the liner of the present invention serves as a sealing gasket for the juncture between the mounting cup and the mouth of the container thereby eliminating the need for the resilient sealant customarily applied to the mating surfaces of the cup and container.

It will be apparent that modifications may be made Within the scope and spirit of my invention, and accordingly, I do not Wish to be limited otherwise than as indicated by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A valved closure for a pressurized dispenser container comprising a metallic member having a lateral portion, a portion contiguous with the lateral portion adapted to aflix the closure to the container, and an upstanding pedestal portion for mounting a valve unit, said pedestal having a top opening for the valve stem, a deformable nonmetallic liner comprising a lateral portion adapted to seat against the lateral portion of the metallic member, a pedestal portion adapted to be received in the pedestal portion of the metallic member said liner pedestal portion including a central opening for the valve stem in registration with the opening in the metallic member, and a valve unit having a valve stem extending through the openings in the metallic member and the liner, said valve unit being retained in said pedestal portions by a crimp in the side wall of the pedestal portions of the metallic member and liner.

2. The closure of claim 1, wherein said liner is a resilient material to provide a resilient gasket'for sealing said closure to said container.

3. The closure of claim 1, wherein said liner opening is of smaller dimension than said pedestal opening to provide a non-metallic surface for valve stem guidance.

4. The closure of claim 3, wherein said liter opening has a serrated edge to provide a relatively large area for filling the dispenser.

5. A closure for the container of a pressurized dispenser comprising a metallic ferrule member having a valve mounting pedestal with an opening to accommodate a Valve stem and with a downwardly extending flange adapted to be crimped to the open end of the container, a relatively thin non-metailic liner member adapted to conform with the configuration of the inner surface of the valve mounting pedestal of the ferrule and adapted to overlie the edge of the container opening, said liner hav ing an opening in registration with said pedestal opening to accommodate a valve stem, said liner opening-being of smaller dimension than said valve stem opening of said pedestal and said liner opening having a serrated edge to provide a relatively large area for filling the dispener, said liner opening being bounded by an upstanding annular ridge, a resilient gasket for sealing said container, and a valve unit including a valve housing secured to said valve mounting pedestal and said liner by a groove formed in said pedestal and said liner to embrace said valve housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,818,202 12/ 1957 Abplanalp 222402.24 2,900,114 8/1959 Utz 22l1l 3,109,625 11/1963 Steimanet al 222-4022 3,158,179 11/1964 Lehman 222-402.2 3,159,318 12/1964 Green 222-40224 3,225,969 12/1965 ODonnell 222394 WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner. 

